Vagabonding.. What Is It and What It's Like For Me!

Happy Friday Steemians!

On my last post @writewords commented and asked me what I meant by living a vagabond lifestyle and if I was really just nomadic. So what really is the difference between a vagabond and a nomad? Surprisingly, I have probably only been asked this one other time since I started vagabonding, and although the difference is hardly important, I think it is a great question because the answer holds a lot of information about who I am and what I am about. So here is some more background on me, Ashley! :)

So what is Vagabonding?

Well this is what Websters dictionary says:

Vagabond
1: moving from place to place without a fixed home : wandering
2: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wanderer
- leading an unsettled, irresponsible, or disreputable life

and this is what Websters says about a Nomad:

Nomad
1: a member of a people having no permanent home but moving from place to place usually in search of food or to graze livestock
2: a person who moves often

Now, by those definitions I am not sure why "nomad" became the word of choice for us long term travelers but that's besides the point. I believe that nowadays the word nomad is more in line with the definition of a vagabond and the two are more so interchangeable. Honestly, for me, I like to be correct in my word choices and it doesn't exactly matter what you call yourself. So, call me what you would like. :)

This is the definition of Vagabonding from the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts:

"1. The act of leaving behind the orderly world to travel independently for an extended period of time. 2. A privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, awareness, simplicity, discovery, independence, realism, self-reliance, and growth of the spirit. 3. A deliberate way of living that makes freedom to travel possible. "

This definition really resonates with me and is a pretty solid definition of my current lifestyle. I also believe that most vagabonds intend to have a fixed home at some point again. Atleast, thats me. Where that place might be I am not sure and when that time might be, well, I am not sure on that either!

What is vagabonding like for me?

So far, challenging but indescribably BEAUTIFUL and the best teacher I have ever had!

I began this lifestyle in October, 2016 when I had quit my job, sold all of my belongings and hopped on a one way flight to Costa Rica. I wasn't secure with a big savings or even an income of some kind but I was determined I could figure it out. I assumed volunteer work would be easy to find and that it would be my way of having a place to stay and maybe making a few bucks. Turns out its almost impossible to find volunteer work that allows you to bring your dog. HA! Yes, I travel with my dog, Wiley, and despite the challenges him being with me brings I wouldn't trade his companionship for the world nor will I accept it being impossible to travel with him.

After almost four months of living in the jungle and traveling the southern countries of Central America I was presented with my biggest obstacle. Money was well past gone and things didn't exactly work out volunteering. I had to come back to the states for a backpacking trip that had been planned months in advance and then I was trying to get to the northern Central American countries for a spiritual journey, ALL WITH NO MONEY. I surrendered to life trying to teach me something and I went back to Arizona to work a few weeks. It seemed like a failure to be back working in the states at a "real job" and I would be lying if I didn't say I felt defeated. That is until I hiked the Grand Canyon and then took off to travel through Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. I DID IT! Now I am starting my journey living off grid in California for the next few months and I couldn't be more pleased and surprised at how life brought me here.

My process learning to navigate a vagabond life has been all over the place and far from easy going but the reward has been more than worth it. What I learned was that vagabonding wasn't about what I thought it was going to be. It isn't about everything working out the way my ego wanted it to. It's
about letting go of ego, jumping into the unknown to chase a dream and embracing what came my way no matter what it looked like. Most importantly it really gave meaning to the famous quote "It's not about the destination, but the journey getting there". I am grateful to have the courage to dare to live my dream every day and work towards chasing down even bigger ones relentlessly. Sometimes that requires improvising and changing plans all while trusting the hurdles that are placed in my way. I can safely say that my journey has been nothing like I imagined it would be. Before I started I pictured perfection, everything working out and a paradise life. What I got? Set backs, tons of changed plans and teachings from life that made the journey more beautiful than I could have even come close to imagining. A beautiful messy paradise I had never known I needed or wanted!

In the end, Vagabond or Nomad, life is worth exploring in whatever way feels most fulfilling to you.

I will leave you with this:

"Thus, the question of how and when to start vagabonding is not really a question at all. Vagabonding starts now. Even if the practical reality of travel is still months or years away, vagabonding begins the moment you stop making excuses, start saving money, and begin to look at maps with the narcotic tingle of possibility. From here, the reality of vagabonding comes into sharper focus as you adjust your worldview and begin to embrace the exhilarating uncertainty that true travel promises."
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

MUCH LOVE,
Ashley @ahauvsart